“Jason Bond, chef/owner of Bondir, with locations in Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts, also likes offering toasted bread specialties as comfort foods with a casual vibe. “There’s a long tradition associated with toasted foods such as bruschetta, tapas and pitas, because they are a great way to highlight flavors and physically carry a food in a way that is comforting,” he says. “You can’t be uptight when you’re eating toast.”

“The region’s finest restaurants have plenty to teach us about interior design. Here, we take a closer look at Bondir Concord, where exposed brick, folk art, and plenty of Americana complement the intensely local fare.” By Rachel Slade

“Hardcore chocolatiers are taking a cue from third-wave coffee geeks to create some of the country’s most complex hot chocolate. The result? A few remarkable mugs that prove single-origin is the best thing to happen to hot chocolate since marshmallows. Here are three chocolatiers experimenting with our favorite new advancements in drinkable chocolate, plus a few other cafés and restaurants around the country where you can find cocoa with custom flair.”

“Chefs are coming up with all sorts of inspiring ideas for grains, and I was lucky enough to learn about some of them at last November’s Whole Grains: Breaking Barriers conference organized in Boston by Oldways and the Whole Grains Counsel. I moderated a panel of three local chefs: Ana Sortun of Oleana and Sarma, Jason Bond of Bondir, and Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother, as well as Liz l’Etoile of Four Stars Farms, a small Massachusetts farm that is producing and milling wheat, corn, rye, barley and hops. Boston area chefs are delighted that they can now get local grains, milled only days before delivery.”

“Indeed, for Mr. Bond, of Bondir in Massachusetts, the most important thing is the breed of cattle that the meat comes from; he taps a farm in Maine for cuts of Randall Lineback, a heritage breed with roots in New England.”

“Just choosing a restaurant at random—here, Concord, Massachusetts’s Bondir—and dissecting a few dishes off its menu, means triggering an avalanche of people interacting with any given plate. Chef-owner Jason Bond is a wonder in the kitchen, and his creations are absolutely among the most flavorful and thoughtful in the country.”

“It took over a year for Chef Jason Bond of Bondir Concord, the spectacular eatery known for showcasing the pastoral and marine bounty of our New England region, to amass one of the area’s most impressive rare beer collections. And it’s available for your quaffing pleasure this fall.”